To Build A Home
by theofficialdramallama
Summary: Blue Watch at Blackwall is made up of ordinary people performing extraordinary services for the city of London. The night of the 8th of November 1987 will change them forever. The King's Cross fire will change them forever. Set between the Pilot Movie and Series 1.
1. Prologue

Every day was different, that was what made the job special.

Every day they stepped across the threshold into Blackwall Fire Station, it was a new adventure. A new chance to gain experience, to challenge themselves in unique situations. However, it was also about saving people. When they put on those uniforms, and that bell rang, they _were_ the Blue Watch. They were expected to save the day – to be superheroes.

They were ordinary people too though. They had problems, they had love lives. They had dreams and ambitions, and they had emotions. All of them in that building, they were comrades, friends. Each knew what the other had gone through, because they had also felt the same at some point. They helped each other through bad times and embraced the good times, for each member of the Blue Watch knew the golden rule of being a firefighter, although they rarely spoke about it.

Life was fleeting. Anything could happen, and fate was a cruel foe.

Who were they to try and cheat it?

* * *

Josie didn't mind the lull between shouts. In fact, she preferred it. The ability to reflect on the previous shout and to recharge her batteries so that she could put her all into the next shout helped her through the day.

Parking herself in the empty mess room for a quick read of her new book, she had just begun a new chapter when the front page of the local paper strewn on the table caught her eye.

18th November 1987.

Had it been nearly a year since she had joined Blackwall? She couldn't quite believe it. It hadn't felt like it, that was for sure!

"Penny for your thoughts?"

She jumped just a little, her features softening into a smile as Bayleaf entered the mess room. Resting her book on the table, she shook her head. "Just got a bit distracted, that's all."

Bayleaf was about to ask more, but they were interrupted by the rest of the gang strolling in and taking their seats.

"It's true!"

"Sure it is."

"Where's the proof?"

"Yeah, if you're so sure about it?"

Bayleaf shot Josie an amused look.

"I feel like we're missing something here."

Malcolm spoke up first with a sly smile. "Charisma seems to think he could hook us up with football tickets. Said he knows a guy."

Charisma huffed in response. "I do! He's a good mate!"

"Must be a pretty good mate to think that he can get tickets for so many of us." George raised an eyebrow.

"FA Cup final."

Vaseline calmly popped a cigarette in his mouth and lit it as everyone turned to stare at him in disbelief. Taking it between his fingers, he locked eyes with a shocked Charisma. "Get tickets for all of us to the FA Cup final, and we'll believe you."

"Are you mad? They're like gold dust these days!" Tony exclaimed.

That was their chance of getting tickets for anything gone now, Sicknote thought.

Kevin glanced up to see John popping his head in the doorway. "Up for tickets for the FA Cup final, Sub?"

"Well, I was only looking for a bit of grub, but they'll do!"

"That's my cue…!" Bayleaf chuckled as he made his way to the kitchen, starting to prepare the dinner.

As Josie watched on as the guys argued over who they thought would make it to the final, she found herself smiling. Sure, she had her friends out of work, but these guys… She hadn't been at Blackwall for that long, but they were some of the best friends she could have. She wouldn't change them for the world.

In busy Central London, members of the public darted from place-to-place in the pre-Christmas rush. Countless others passed through the doors of King's Cross Underground Station, up and down the wooden escalators to their destinations.

Only one of those people noticed the tiny glow of light emerging from the gaps in the elevator steps…


	2. Calm Before The Storm

They were halfway through their shepherd's pies when the bells went down. They were used to it though – plenty of meals had been unfinished for the sake of others over the years. Maggie would clear them up while they were gone.

As the rest of the Blue Watch darted out of the mess and made their way down the poles, Station Officer Tate immediately abandoned the mound of paperwork before him, making his way briskly down the stairs and meeting up with them in the appliance room.

Hallam darted into the watch room, grabbing the Telex slip from its machine, doing a double take as he read its contents.

"It's King's Cross tube station, Guv! Backup for an escalator fire!"

"That's bloody miles away!" Kevin exclaimed as they all scrambled to get into their gear.

Tate took the paper from him, taking a second to scan through the information himself. Right at that moment, he wished nothing more than for experienced firefighter John Hallam to be wrong for once in his life. He wasn't. Tate could feel the familiar feeling of dread bubble up deep within him.

"George, Vaseline, Josie, Kevin, Hallam - take the pump. Malcolm, Charisma, Bayleaf, Tony, Sicknote and I will take the pump ladder."

With the orders given, they all clambered into their respective appliances. The vehicles sped out into the labyrinth of the city streets, the two-tone sirens piercing the evening air.

In the pump, it was Josie who broke the silence, her voice raised to carry over the din of the engine and the sirens.

"Must be pretty bad if we're giving backup. We're not even in the tube station's range."

"The Telex mentioned it being a temporary special risk. There's been escalator fires in other stations before, but they've all been contained without it becoming an issue."

Hallam stopped himself before he could say any more, focusing on the road and the pump ladder in front of them. He was getting a bad feeling about this shout, but as Sub Officer, he wasn't going to let the team down by being unprofessional and getting them worked up about it.

Meanwhile, in the pump ladder, the air was tense. Bayleaf's hands gripped the steering wheel a little tighter than usual as he navigated the busy London streets. Nobody was speaking, but they were all doing the same thing. Bracing themselves for what was to come - the calm before the storm. There was no time for mentally preparing themselves when they were at the site - people's lives were at stake.

It seemed like an age before they began to near King's Cross. Fortunately, the traffic was accommodating to the fire engines, granting them safe passage and a quicker journey for Blue Watch than normal for a shout of this distance.

Tony caught a glimpse of a LED light from a nearby pharmacy sign illuminating the time as they began to slow down – quarter past eight in the evening.

However, when they did begin to catch sight of the station, Bayleaf let out a single word, unaware that he uttered it aloud.

"Shit."

It was controlled chaos.

He parked up the pump ladder at the nearest free spot, the pump parking behind it. They were lucky that they could even get a spot with the sheer number of vehicles surrounding the station.

There were what seemed to be a countless number of fire engines, several Fire Rescue Units and a couple of Command Support Units. Various members of the police had cornered off the area around the station, were making sure that inquisitive members of the public weren't carelessly coming to harm, and aiding survivors to safety. Paramedics were trying their best to assist the wounded and a legion of ambulances were coming and going from the site.

Blue Watch jumped out of their vehicles and awaited instructions as Tate rushed to the nearest Command Support Unit, giving a curt nod to the Incident Commander as he stepped inside the vehicle.

"Blue Watch from Blackwall, ready to assist, sir."

He was back to the rest of the Watch in the space of a minute, but to them, it felt like forever.

"Right. Apparently, a small fire on the Piccadilly Line escalator going up toward the ticket hall was reported at half seven – the firefighters first at the scene thought it could be contained, but survivors are coming out now saying about a massive explosion soon after."

He gestured to the subway stairway at street level, which had now been swallowed in thick dark smoke.

"That's our way in and out. Get your BAs on. We'll go in groups. George, Sicknote, Tony, Malcolm and Kevin – hoses. Hallam, Charisma, Bayleaf, Josie and Vaseline – rescue and recovery."

He caught his breath, taking a moment to look them all dead in the eye.

"Don't you dare be heroes – when you feel like you need a break, take a break! Plus, if you lot aren't back at street level in a suitable time, I'll bloody well go in there and drag you up myself! Now get at it!"

With that, they got to work, donning their breathing apparatus and rolling out the hoses, ready to take their place beside their fellow members of the London Fire Brigade. However, one sight plagued their minds as they made their way to the subway.

They had no other option but to pass a group of firefighters who had undoubtedly previously been below ground. Some were leaning against lampposts and traffic signs; some were slumped against nearby buildings and others were sitting on the damp ground. They were all trying desperately to regain their breath, their soot-covered features highlighting their dazed and haunted expressions.

They looked like they had just been through hell and back.


	3. Save Me

The first thing that Kevin noticed was the heat. Even so, they were prepared for conditions like this - they had top-of-the-range equipment and uniforms. They just needed to focus on the job in hand.

The smoke was dark and thick, swirling around him like a mist as he began to make his way down the stairs into the unknown. However, he didn't get very far before he could just about make out a faint orange glow of a distant flame. He gestured to Malcolm, who like him had been nominated to gauge the strength and power of the blaze. It wasn't what they would normally do, but Tate was adamant that he wasn't going to send anyone down to fight the blaze until they all knew what they were facing.

They both took a few more steps downstairs before it hit them. What seemed like a wall of heat slammed into them, the smoke parting just enough to reveal the carnage.

Once they were back at street level, they relayed the information they had gathered back to Tate and the others.

"It's bad, Guv! You couldn't stay down there for long in that heat!" Malcolm had his helmet off, trying fruitlessly to wipe the sweat cascading from his brow.

"Right. Spray each other's backs as you work – it's not ideal but it'll cool you down for a while at least. We follow the same plan."

The BAs were activated, the hoses readied, and Blue Watch entered the station. Kevin and Malcolm led the way as they all made their way into the ticket hall. Once they entered the hall, George, Sicknote and Tony joined them, the five of them beginning to fight the blaze.

The flames roared around them, licking the walls, the ceiling, everywhere. The small tiles decorating the ticket hall walls were being stripped off from the sheer power of the fire, the popping sound reminding Kevin of the gunshots that would erupt from the TV when his brother would play his video games.

Meanwhile, Hallam, Charisma, Bayleaf, Josie and Vaseline had begun the challenging task of escorting any survivors to safety and recovering any bodies. Splitting off into different directions, they began to pick their way through the debris, following the paths that had been created by the hose water.

A problem was beginning to emerge, however. Whenever the water extinguished the fire, the steam that was created made it even harder to see.

Charisma was the first to spot someone struggling through the smoke. A young man, 20s or 30s, he wasn't sure – right now it wasn't important. Dashing over to him, he proceeded to help him into the safety of the street above.

Hallam tried his best to steady his breathing as he reached the ladies' bathroom having previously checked the men's, the door fortunately easy to open. A sigh of relief passed his lips as he came face-to-face with a woman, huddled in the far corner. She was lucky – being in the bathroom when the explosion happened had spared her from any burn injuries, but there was still the smoke to contend with.

"Let's get you out of here!"

Helping her to her feet, they both made their way toward the stairs, the smoke hampering their progress. Nevertheless, Hallam got her out eventually. Tate was there immediately, leading the woman to a nearby ambulance as Hallam returned to the ticket hall.

Vaseline and Bayleaf carried out a body so charred that it was hard to even tell if it was a man or a woman. They were back down to the hall within moments of getting it to street level.

The minutes ticked by, a constant cycle of survivors and bodies being brought to the surface.

Josie found herself deep within the hall, the fire still at full strength. The others had been hosing the blaze non-stop and yet it looked as if they had barely made progress. Flames were popping up faster than they could put them out.

Blue Watch's BA alarms rang – five minutes left.

She ignored the melting plastic from the ceiling that dripped onto her helmet as she caught a glimpse of something out of the corner of her eye.

A man and a young girl collapsed on the ground near the turnstiles.

Rushing over to where they lay, Josie noticed the man stirring slightly. As she bent down to their level, he heard him whisper in a raspy voice as he grabbed her arm in a vice grip.

"Save her first…!"

She made a split-second decision. Her training screamed in her brain – whoever was most seriously injured was the higher priority. Taking hold of the man, she began to carry him out as he slipped back into unconsciousness, grateful for the sudden appearance of Vaseline to help her.

"Get the kid next!" She shouted to him as they made their way to street level.

Most of the Watch were on the street, taking heed of the BA warning and getting out of the station just before their tanks ran out. Josie and Vaseline watched as the man was wheeled away on a stretcher before turning to head back down. However, they were stopped by Tate, who sported a strict expression.

"There's another crew going down for a shift. Take a break, the lot of you."

The words were out of Josie's mouth before she could stop herself.

"Guv, we have to go back in! There's a child by the turnstiles!"

"And I'll notify the next crew! I told you about going off and being a hero!"

"Bu—"

"No buts! You'll be no good to anyone if you wind up dead!"

Josie bit her lip, blinking back tears. From the smoke wafting from the station or the lump in her throat, she wasn't sure.

"Now all of you go take a break, you all deserve one."

Tate watched as Blue Watch silently made their way over to an empty part of the street, the knot in his stomach growing larger by the second. He'd have a proper talk with them later – shouts like these, they'd knock the stuffing out of the strongest of firefighters. Striding over to the new batch of firemen ready to join the fight, he promptly informed them of the girl's location.

Sitting down on the street path, Sicknote glanced down at his boots and blinked. He hadn't even noticed during it all, but the heat had somehow melted the bottom of his leggings. He was too numb to even make a remark. They all were.

They stayed silent, watching the mayhem unfold as they fought to catch their breath. There were paramedics hovering around them now, checking them over for any visible injuries.

Vaseline watched as the other firefighters entered the station from their vantage point on the street corner. He hoped to God they weren't too late.

Leaning his head against a streetlamp, George glanced up at the night sky as he greedily filled his lungs with fresh air. There were stars in the sky, still shining even with everything going on below them.

"We'll get it under control."

Tony nodded listlessly in agreement at Hallam's statement. However, they all knew the reality of what was happening.

The firefighters would put out the fire, sure. It was just a matter of time. What they couldn't control however, was the countless lives that had been ruined in the space of a couple of hours.


End file.
